136 HAWKING. 



with two attendants. On landing, they repair to a house 

 called the king's falcon-house, for the purpose of re- 

 ceiving the birds caught by persons who are licensed, 

 and are native Icelanders. About midsummer, these 

 catchers bring their birds on horseback, holding a pole 

 with another fixed across it, on which ten or twelve sit 

 all capped, that is, with their heads covered with caps or 

 hoods. This pole is held in their hand, and rested on 

 the stirrup. The falconer examines them very carefully, 

 and returning those that are of an inferior sort, sends 

 off the best to Denmark. During the voyage, they are 

 arranged between the decks, tied to poles, two rows of a 

 side ; these poles are covered with coarse cloth over a 

 stuffing of straw, and lines are strung from one side to 

 the other, pretty close, that they may have something to 

 catch hold of in case of the ship's rolling. The catchers 

 receive a written testimony of their respective good 

 qualities, by virtue of which they are paid by the king's 

 receiver-general, about three pounds for the best, which 

 are white; about two pounds for the second best, and 

 from eight to ten shillings for the remainder: latterly 

 the prices have been raised, but in former days, when 

 they received rather more, and money was not so plen- 

 tiful, this price may be considered as very great. But 

 this price is nothing in comparison with the sums quoted 

 by historians, as given about two hundred years ago in 

 England, when a Goshawk, a bird far inferior to these 

 Iceland Hawks, was sold for one hundred marks, or nearly 

 seventy pounds sterling. It is further said, that a cer- 

 tain Sir Thomas Monson, about that period, gave no less 

 than a thousand pounds for a cast of Hawks, consisting 

 of two birds. 



In the Orkney Islands, a little to the north of Scot- 

 land, where excellent Hawks are bred, there was an act 

 of Parliament claiming them " to be reserved to his 

 Majesty, with the falconers' salaries, according to ancient 

 custom;" and in some parts there is still an old custom 

 observed, of claiming a hen from each house, or from a 



